Hair dryer bonnet



Aug. 15, 1967 H. GENGER 3,335,503

HAIR DRYER BONNET Filed March l5, 1965 *l/igual, we M Aug. 15, 1967 H. GENGER 3,335,503

HAIR DRYER BONNET Filed March 15, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. l5, 1967 H. GENGER 3,335,503

HAIR DRYER BONNET Filed March l5, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FlEl United States Patent Otice 3,335,503 HAIR DRYER BONNET Horst Genger, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Bretford Manufacturing, Inc., a corporation of Illinois Filed Mar. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 439,561 Claims. (Cl. 34-100) This invention relates to ldrying devices and more particularly to a new and improved hair drying apparatus.

Presently merchandised hair dryers are generally divided into two classifcations, namely, portable and floor model hair dryers. Some so-called portable hair dryers typically utilize either la soft perforate plastic cap or a rigid bonnet connected by a hose to a motor which creates a draft of warm air and supplies the same through the hose to the cap or bonnet on the head of the user. The so-called iloor model hair dryers `generally are mounted on a standard and have a substantially rigid bonnet into which a person positions his head while seated on an adjacent chair. Typically the motor and fan blade are located in a housing at the top of the rigid bonnet. Such floor model structures are both relatively heavy and generally bulky, and present problems in storage and handling for the manufacturer, the distributor and the user. Attempts to increase the drying action in floor model hair dryers have generally centered upon creating a stronger draft of warm air by increasing the size of the fan blade and motor which has added to the cost and to the weight of the hair dryer.

The present invention has successfully increased the drying efficiency of floor model hair dryers without increasing the size of blade or motor. In fact, a smaller motor is utilized in attaining increased drying eiciency. The structure of the present invention utilizes a new form of bonnet which tends to channelize, and momentarily capture or retain, whirling heated air within the bonnet. In addition, the dryer structure includes a new form of fan blade which cooperates with the bonnet to provide a tempestuous whirling lair flow in a desirable drying pattern. The new form of bonnet is constructed and arranged so as to be collapsible, thereby reducing the size of box or carton needed in shipping such dryers. Thus the cost of cartons is reduced, ease of handling is enhanced, and storage space for the merchandise is reduced.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a new and improved hair dryer.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a new and improved hair drying apparatus having a bonnet provided with annular channels for direction of whirling air and a novel fan structure for cooperating with the bonnet to cause a pattern of highly eilcient tempestuous air movement circumferentially of the inner Walls of the bonnet, the fan structure being formed to create an updraft in the volume of air centrally of the bonnet and below the blade so that some of the circumferentially moving air is drawn back through the blade structure.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved hair dryer having a resilient bonnet of lightweight plastic `material which is provided with a plurality of annular lines of weakening affording fold lines on which portions of the bonnet may be collapsed to significantly reduce the vertical dimension of the bonnet.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a new and improved hair dryer having a fan blade which is provided with vanes having upper and lower vane portions for directing converging patterns of whirling air outwardly along the upper end of the interior channeled wall of the bonnet to cooperate therewith in providing a unique, tempestuous air movement which is highly eicient in its drying action.

3,335,503 Patented Aug. l5, 1967 Yet another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved hair dryer having a unique bonnet construction and novel blade which permits smaller motors and smaller heating units to be used so that moderately heated air is tempestuously circumferentially circulated, thereby increasing drying eiciency while reducing costs, prolonging the life of the structure and promoting the comfort of the user.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section view of the hair drying unit of this invention showing the bonnet in a fully extended position for normal use, the supporting standard being fragmentarily shown;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section view of the bonnet of this invention collapsed on two lines of weakening and showing the bonnet in la collapsed position which is used for purposes of storage and shipping;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section view taken along the line 3 3 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view (as viewed from the top of FIGURE 1) of one form of fan blade for use with the hair dryer of this invention;

FIGURE 5 is a section view taken along line 5 5 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view (as viewed from the top of FIGURE l) of the preferred form of fan blade for use with the hair dryer of this invention;

FIGURE 7 is a section view taken along line 7--7 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is an elevation view partially broken away in section of the hair dryer of this invention illustrating the tempestuous air movements produced by the interaction of the circumferential air currents from the upper and lower vane portions of the fan blade with the channeled walls of the bonnet of this invention;

FIGURE 9 is a diagrammatic view taken from below the bonnet of FIGURE 1 and illustrating the separate currents of air generated by the whirling action of the upper and lower vane portions of the fan blade; and

FIGURE 10 is a section view taken as indicated on line 10-10 of FIGURE 9 showing the direction of the separate whirling currents of air generated by the preferred form of fan blade of FIGURE 6.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIGURE 1 there is shown the hair dryer 10 of this invention pivotally mounted on the end of an upright stand 12 (shown fragmentarily) by means of a suitable bracket 16 and pivot pin 16a. The dryer unit consists of three primary sections, the motor chamber 20, the fan chamber 22, and the drying chamber 24.

The motor chamber 20 includes an inverted, substantially pan-like housing 26 having a plurality of openings 28 therein for the admission of air into the chamber. A suitable electric motor 30 is provided and has a shaft 31 which is rotatably driven and to which the fan blade of this invention is mounted. The well-known electrical cords 32 lead from the motor 30 to the exterior for connection with a suitable on-otf switch and a suitable outlet. The several novel structural features of this hair dryer which will be explained in detail permit the use of an electric motor 30 which has less power than motors formerly used in hair dryers thereby reducing the cost of the dryer as well as the noise-level.

The fan chamber 22 also includes an inverted pan-like housing 36 positioned directly beneath the motor chamber. The fan chamber has openings 44 to permit air which has been drawn through the motor chamber to be drawn on through the fan chamber from where it will be circulated throughout the dryer. A plurality of heat coils 38 are mounted on brackets 40 and connected with the electrical wiring 32 for heating the air which is drawn through the motor chamber and the fan chamber. The motor shaft 31 extends through an opening 41 in the fan chamber hou-sing and a fan blade 42 is secured to the-shaft by a suitable spin-dle 43 Vfor rotation when the motor 30 is actuated.

Near the bottom of the fan chamber housing 22 there is a oircumferentially extending rim or lip 45 to which the hair ldrying chamber or bonnet 24 is secured. Spaced inwar-dly and below the rim 45 are a number of peripherally spaced, narrow depending brackets 46 supporting the protective grill 48 which serves as a fora-minous barrier between the drying chamber into which the head will be inserted and the whirling fan and heated coils of the fan chamber. `Currents of heated air can flow freely from the fan blade 42 past the brackets 46 and peripherally of the protective grill 48 into the bonnet 24.

The preferred form of fan blade structure is shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, and a slightly modiiied form is shown in FIGURES 4 and 5.

Referring to FIGURES 4 through 7, the fan blade 42 used with the hair dryer of this invention has a central hub portion 52 with an opening 54 therein for securement to the motor shaft 31. A pair of vanes 56a and 561; project radially outwardly from the hub and are preferably slightly laterally olset relative to each other. Vane 56a is provided with an upper vane portion 60a, and vane 5'6b is provided with an upper vane portion 60h. Vane 56a is also provided witha lower vane portion 58a, while vane 56b is provi-ded with a lower vane portion 58b. The purpose of the upper vane portions is to draw the air through the openings in the motor and fan housing and to direct the air circumferentially of the bonnet past the heated coils to warm the circulating air within 'the bonnet, The lower vane portions in rotating also direct air circumferentially of the bonnet past the heated coils and in a pattern intersecting or converging with the pattern of air movement from the upper vane portions to create with the channeled bonnet interior a whirling tempestuous air movement circumferentially of the bonnet'interior and about the head of a person using the dryer. The paths of movement of the currents of air in the preferred form of fan blade (FIGURE 6) is illustrated diagrammatically in FIGURES 9 and 10.

In the fan blade illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, the vanes 56a and 56b have a generally flat, elongate configuration, and both the upstanding and downwardly projecting vane portions extend at substantially right angles to the plane of the blade. In the preferred form of fan blade shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, the vanes 56a and 56h are again substantially flat :and elongate, but the upper vane portions and the lower vane portions are 'angled relative to the body of the blade to better direct the air transversely of the heated coils. In particular, the lower vane portions 58a and 58h are angled `slightly inwardly toward each other whereas the upper vane portions 60a and 60h preferably first extend away from the underside of the blade .at substantially a right angle thereto for a short distance and then bend inwardly toward each other; In both fan blades shown in FIGURES 4 through 7, the vanes are slightly laterally offset relative to each other and the lower vane portions are bent down from that edge of each blade which is closest to the center line of the hub; or in other Words, from the opposed edges of the offset blades which are closest to each other. Similarly, the upper vane portions are bent upwardly from the most remote outside edges of the blades. The fan blade 42 itself is relatively small, but its unique configuration creates and diiuses an extremely turbulent circumferential pattern of air about the interior of the bonnet.

Thus the fan blade 42 and its vane portions (l) draw air past the motor and into the fan chamber; (2) direct air past the heated coils; and (3) create two whirling patterns of air (FIGURE 9) which in intersecting cause s securely clamp the bonnet to the housing in assembly.

with the bonnet a heterogeneous turbulent air action circumferentially of the bonnet interior.

The bonnet 24 is a one-piece, semi-rigid, collapsible, bell-shaped or ovoid structure made of a suitable plastic material. The bonnet 24 is provided with an upper opening 24a dened by an upper marginal edge portion and forming a top circumferential groove 64 which may be snapped about the outer flange 45 on the fan housing to The continuous, substantially bell-shaped annular wall of the bonnet is preferably formed to provide an inwardly tapered upper end portion 19, a central wall portion 29 and an inwardly tapered lower end portion 39. The annular wall of the bonnet 24 is preferably formed to provide a plurality of inwardly directed and outwardly directed nite frusto-conical segments 66a and 66b, respectively, each joined to an adjacent segment at a plurality of circumferentially extending lines of weakening or fold lines 68 to provide an accordion-like side wall configuration for the bonnet.

The top of the bonnet is of smaller diameter than the central wall portion 29 and the first series of outwar-dly extending frusto-conical portions 66h preferably have a greater vertical dimension than the inwardly projecting frusto-conical segments 66a resulting in an increase in the diameter of the bonnet near the vertical midpoint thereof. From that point several inwardly and outwardly projecting frustoconical segments in the central wall portion 29 are preferably substantially coextensive in dimension so that the wall portion 29 is of generally uniform expanded diameter. Toward the bottom or open end of the bonnet, the inwardly directed frusto-conical segments 66a are increased in vertical dimension in comparison to the segments 66h so that the lower end portion 39 converges to form an openin-g 69 for the head of a user of the hair dryer.

For packing and storage purposes, the bonnet may be partially collapsed by folding or telescoping the annular Wall about the endless circumferential lines of weakening 68a and 68h, which telescoping serves to reduce substantially the vertical dimension of the bonnet. Additional frusto-conical seg-ments at the upper and lower portions of the bonnet may be folded or telescoped so that the vertical height may 4be reduced to substantially the vertical height of the central wall portion 29. The nature of the plastic material in Icombination with the tapered end Iportions of the annular wall which include the larger dimension frustoaconical portions 66h permits those portions 66b to be folded inwardly about the fold lines 68a and GSb, as sh-own in FIGURE 2, and the inherent nature of the plastic material causes the bonnet to retain its collapsed configuration. For assembly purposes, the bonnet may be easilyV pulled from its telescoped position by hand to assume its full expanded configuration as shown in FIGURES 1 and 8, and the circumferential groove 64 may be hand manipulated to snap over the ilange 45 to hold the bonnet to the -fan and motor housing.

The accordion-like conguration of the 'bonnet pos-V sesses another important advantage in addition to the collapsibility feature. FIGURE 8 illustrates diagrammatically the general pattern of air currents A within the bonnet 24 produced by the fan blade and the conguration of the bonnet 24. It has been found that the pleated or channeled configuration of the inner wall of the bonnet acts in concert with the circumferentially moving turbulent air produced by the fan blade so that, asffthe fan directs the air peripherally outward toward `the inner walls of the bonnet, the channeled conguration of the walls tends to capture and retain or turbulate the whirling air within the bonnet longer than with conventional bonnets with smooth interiors. As certain portions of the heated air slows in its whirling movement, these portions are pushed upwardly through the hair into the partial vacuum created beneath the lower vane portions of the fan blade, and these heated portions are again recirculated.

It has been found that the whirling air current produced by the present hair dryer gives an extremely e'icient hair drying action. At the same time, users of the present hair dryer have stated that they do not experience the feeling of heat upon their hair to the extent that they have felt the heat from other hair dryers they have used. It is believed that the many structural features pointed out above contribute to this elective and eiicient operation with the provision of a cooler type of heating action. A highly tempestuous movement of the air is caused to circulate and move in many different directions relative to the hair of the person using the dryer. It is believed that this turbulent air movement attacking the hair from varying angles picks up greater moisture from the hair than is the case with dryers using Icomparable sized motors, fan blades and heating elements by virtue of the fact that greater surface area of the hair is exposed to the circulating air.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. For use with a hair dryer having a housing, a motor in the housing, a heating element, means connected to the motor to draw air past the heating element and force the same outwardly for expulsion into a hair drying bonnet, a hair drying bonnet formed of a self-sustaining annular wall having one open end to receive the head of a user and another end constructed and arranged for receiving the forced flow of heated air, the interior of said annular wall having .a plurality of finite annular channels for receiving forced air fed into the lbonnet to create turbulation of the forced iiow of air in a tempestuous patern closely adjacent the interior wall of the bonnet.

2. A hair drying apparatus comprising: means for supplying heated air to the upper end of a hair dryer bonnet; a hair dryer bonnet adapted to accommodate the head of a user of the apparatus in order to dry the hair, the interior of the bonnet being pleated to provide an accordion-like con-figuration so that a number of annular channels are provided around the inside of the bonnet to receive and create turbulation of the heated air in a circumferential tempestuous path about the head of a user, said annular wall being provided with an endless circumferentially extending line of weakening so that the length of the bonnet may be adjusted by telescoping the same upon itself in the area of the line of weakening.

3. The hair dryer of claim 2 wherein said finite annula-r channels are generally vertically spaced of the bonnet.

4. In a hair drying 'apparatus having an apertured housing, a motor mounted within the housing, a heating element mounted within the housing, the improvement which comprises a bonnet for the head of a user of the apparatus formed by a depending annular wall of self-sustaining material, the bonnet having an upper opening formed by the upper marginal edge of the annular wall to provide communication with the interior of the housing, the upper marginal edge being secured to the housing, said bonnet terminating at its lower portion in an open end of a size to accommodate the head of la user of the apparatus, the interior of said annular wall `being provided with a plurality of finite annular channels spaced vertically of the bonnet to create turbulation of circulating air in a tempestuous pattern closely adjacent the interior wall of the bonnet; and in combination therewith, a rotatable fan blade operatively connected to the motor for circulating air in the bonnet, the fan blade including a generally uprightly disposed vane portion which during rotation pulls air through the apertured housing and circulates a whirling current of air radially and circumferentially of the bonnet, upper annular channels of the bonnet receiving a portion of the whirling current of air and affording a guiding action to the whirling air circumferentially of the interior -of the bonnet and about the head of a user of the apparatus.

5. In a hair drying apparatus as specified in claim 4, in which the rotata-ble fan blade has a radially extending vane having an upwardly extending vane portion and a downwardly extending vane portion, the upwardly extending vane portion during rotation pulling air through the apertured housing and directing an upper whirling current of air radially and circumferentially of the bonnet, the downwardly extending vane portion during rotation pulling air upwardly from below the fan blade and directing a lower whirling current of air radially and circumferentially of the bonnet, said upper and lower currents of air intersecting and impinging upon the upper annular channels of the bonnet, and the upper channels affording a guiding action to the currents of air circumferentially of the bonnet and about the head of a user of the apparatus.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 479,642 7/1892 Hamilton 230-l34-45 XR 1,452,066 4/1923 Cave 34-151 1,873,927 `8/ 1932 Goldhammer 95-39 X 1,991,950 2/1935 Martin 34100 X 2,063,896 12/1936` Martin 34-100 2,297,614 9/1942 Fuchs 34--231 2,453,364 11/'19418 Fears 34-99 X 2,631,380 3/1953 Schwaneke 34-100 X 3,023,515 3/1962 Stern 34-99 3,082,540 3/ 1963 Hiltenbrand 34-100 X 3,152,874 10/1964 Hupka 34-99 3,190,012 6/1965 Gray 34-91 X FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner. JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Examiner. A. Assistant Egqminer. 

1. FOR USE WITH A HAIR DRYER HAVING A HOUSING, A MOTOR IN THE HOUSING, A HEATING ELEMENT, MEANS CONNECTED TO THE MOTOR TO DRAW AIR PAST THE HEATING ELEMENT AND FORCE THE SAME OUTWARDLY FOR EXPULSION INTO A HAIR DRYING BONNET, A HAIR DRYING BONNET FORMED OF A SELF-SUSTAINING ANNULAR WALL HAVING ONE OPEN END TO RECEIVE THE HEAD OF A USER AND ANOTHER END CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED FOR RECEIVING THE FORCED FLOW OF HEATED AIR, THE INTERIOR OF SAID ANNULAR WALL HAVING A PLURALITY OF FINITE ANNULAR CHANNELS FOR RECEIVING FORCED AIR FED INTO THE BONNET TO CREATE TURBULATION OF THE FORCED FLOW OF AIR IN A TEMPESTUOUS PATERN CLOSELY ADJACENT THE INTERIOR WALL OF THE BONNET. 